The NFL is "reluctant to agree" to a "Thursday Night Football" contract with CBS longer than a year because of the changing media landscape, which is increasingly filled with consumers "untethering themselves from cable and satellite subscriptions," according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Whether the league wants to align "TNF" games "with old or new media is a question it seems unready to answer." Sandomir: "At what point will it be time to stream 'Thursday Night Football' directly to consumers rather than distribute it by traditional means, where a long-term deal could yield a billion dollars or more?" NFL Exec VP/Media and NFL Network CEO Brian Rolapp said, "Everything’s on the table. We know we have a really good thing with CBS, and we’re focusing on this year. ... In this day and age, to lock into one model isn’t the smartest thing anymore." Sandomir notes the future of "TNF" as a possible digital property "could become a bit clearer after Yahoo globally streams" the Oct. 25 Bills-Jaguars game in London. CBS Sports Chair Sean McManus: "As a network, we’re much stronger with ‘Thursday Night Football’ than without it." Horizon Media Senior VP/Research Brad Adgate said that an NFL game "has value beyond a half-hour sitcom, even one as valuable" CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/27).
